Todd and Kristin’s Della Terra Wedding in Estes Park Colorado

Last weekend was Todd and Kristin’s wedding up at the amazing Colorado destination wedding venue Della Terra Mountain Chateau in Estes Park. For couples looking for that back to nature Colorado vibe with a touch of elegance this is a wonderful venue and well worth considering. The details of Della Terra are striking and I could have easily spent a day shooting just those in this place.

My associate Dain and myself had been looking forward to this wedding ever since we both covered Todd and Kristin’s extreme mountain climbing engagement session. During that engagement session we had gotten to know the couple much better and we both felt more like friends with really awesome camera’s showing up to the wedding. We quickly it the details of the wedding and then hung out with the bride and groom as they got ready.

The themed wedding cake by Colorado Rose Cake Company was one of the most unique I’ve ever seen. Now normally I prefer really classic and elegant cakes, but this one was so special to the couple it was really perfect.

Now in case you’re wondering no this cake isn’t about alien abduction or close encounters, but rather the location itself, Devils Tower in Wyoming. Being avid climbers Todd and Kristin have not only climbed the tower, but it was on top that he proposed to her. This cake wasn’t just cool, it represented a truly important part of their story.

Now Colorado being what it is there was no big surprise when some clouds rolled in shortly before the ceremony time. But heck a little light rain never hurt anybody. Unfortunately before the bride could start her trip down the isle a little light rain turned into a downpour.

Now this is where the staff of Della Terra really shined. They began flipping the dining room for the ceremony, while taking care of the guests and a disappointed bride. Now if this wasn’t enough Pam with Della Terra was keeping an eye on the weather radar, and saw storm looked short lived. Giving it an extra bit of time to pass the staff was able to reset the main room for the reception as the bride made her way down the isle outside.

This also turned into one of the most touching moments of the day. As Kristin and her father made their way into the ceremony area, they paused for a moment as Todd, who had been facing the other way, turned and stepped out, and turned to see his lovely bride for the first time that day. I can assure you Todd wasn’t the only one choked up at that moment.

Despite the day’s timeline being derailed by the rain Todd and Kristin still managed to fit in just about everything including a lovely dance out under some new lights installed just the week before at Della Terra.

I did play with the infra-red camera for a few shots as well. It’s always interesting to see how things show up in the infrared spectrum compared to normal light, in this case the purple dresses of the bridesmaids showing up almost pure white.

During the day I also had the pleasure of working beside who is in my opinion Colorado’s best wedding Videographer, Sky Focus Films. These guys are truly a pleasure to work with as a photographer trying to capture many of the same moments they are and the work they produce is magnificent.

For my slideshow, this one was difficult and took me far longer than normal to get finished. See the problem is I could only fit so many images in there and my first draft of what I wanted was about two times too many. So many hours, and iterations later, I found a mix to tell the story of their day. But I think I’m going to have to work on something else as well, so this probably isn’t the last blog post we’ll see from this wedding.

This was a wonderful day to gather friends and family to join in the joy of Kristin and Todd. The setting matched the beauty of their love for each other. The song chosen for the photo montage was so perfect for them! Everything was perfect for their day, including the rain delay, which just gave a hint that they can overcome any hurdle life throws at them. We wish them all of our love and can’t wait to see the family and other formal photos. Thanks to the photographer for capturing so many wonderful images.